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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Eclectically Fall Home Tour

I am so happy to have you all here for my fall tour! I was really excited when Kelly asked me to be part of her Eclectically Fall Tour this year, so please go by and start the tour from the beginning at Eclectically Vintage so you do not miss any of these talented bloggers' beautiful homes. Welcome to all of you who are coming over from the multi-talented Jennifer Rizzo's blog.

For those of you who are new, I'll give some background here and there as we go along.

My Puerto Rican husband and I, along with our children, live in the mountains of North Carolina on property that has been in my family for five generations. It started as a pheasant farm, then my great grandfather came up from Hypoluxo, Fla., and bought the property, complete with gorgeous victorian farmhouse and several other buildings, to be his summer home.

My grandmother visited on a break from her boarding school, met and fell in love with my Virginia-bred grandfather, and the rest is history. My grandparents tore down the old house in 1960 to build a new house, but my resourceful grandfather bundled and stored all the wood -- from windows, stair treads and doors to wormy chestnut trim, all of which we have been slowly incorporating into our house. I like to think he did it just for me:-)

Now, on to the tour! Fall here is just breathtaking, and it seems when the earth changes position at the beginning of September, we get the most glorious Carolina blue skies, and amazing shadows that signal the start of the harvest season. Cool mornings with low fog are the norm as are roadside fruit stands and farmers markets full of seasonal produce.

We're going to start on the porch, then head into the house. First off, you should know that I love color, and I'm not afraid to mix any two colors -- or three or four, together. For autumn, I've added orange to my hot pinks for a vibrant and bold palette pulled directly from the nature.

We have a small house with no entry, so this area serves several purposes including entry. We'll see its other function later.

This antique Harden settle was in the original house, but my grandmother sold it when she downsized. Thanks to a thoughtful neighbor, this settle came back home for my birthday, and I could not be happier to have it. It accompanies an 1880 inherited pump organ.

Step into the living area, which is also multi-purpose and serves us well as it is open to the other living spaces. My style is kind of eclectic Bohemian as I like to combine art from my travels, inherited pieces from all eras, textiles, plants and Native North and South American art I have collected for years.

I found the couch at a local thrift store in perfect condition for $50. I also have my great grandmother's chaise, and a new Eames-style lounge, which our kids fight over -- all thrown into the mix. For fall, falsa blankets and kilim pillows warm up the creamy tones of the upholstery.

My dad made the wagon wheel table after we visited his family in Montana. We found the rim there, then located a wheel here in North Carolina.

Mostly neutral furniture allows me to accessorize however I want. For autumn, I love layering velvet and kilim pillows along with fur throws, falsa blankets and a moroccan wedding blanket.

I have a *thing* for fiberglass mid-century lamp shades, and love this double one on an inherited lamp. The mid-century guitar pick table belonged to my grandmother, and the incense burner was inherited from a relative who lived in China after WWII. For fall, I simply placed a few gourds in a 1970s ash tray.

Windows from the old house are lined with sheet music and display my Cherokee stick ball sticks, which reflect my mother's Cherokee heritage. A statue I bought in Bolivia is balanced by a mid-century lamp base my grandmother painted, and my grandfather's books, which are still used. I found the Nisqually basket on a trip to Washington.

I bought the brown kilim pillows at the Kilim Pillow Store and knew they would be perfect for fall. I love the pink and orange stripes, and the texture is a wonderful compliment to the season. I made the black and white lumbar pillow from fabric I bought at Spoonflower.

An inherited indian tea table holds plants and a local pumpkin.

This is definitely the place where we snuggle up with fur throws and watch DVDs on autumn Sunday afternoons.

Next up is the dining area which showcases my favorite fuchsia overdyed rug. What a statement this rug makes, and I am so glad I moved it from the living area to here as all the brown and beige needed some color.

I made the table from wormy chestnut boards I pulled off an old guest house here, then had a local craftsman make the iron base. I recovered the World Market bench in burlap, which I have spiced up with a chindi rug.

The buffet was inherited and is dressed up with a runner I made from inherited Chinese silk. The painting is an original by my Montana uncle whose work was featured at the Little Bighorn Battlefield Museum. The little deer heads were always on my grandmother's mantel, and the cuckoo clock belonged to my great grandmother.

A door from the old house displays a dream catcher I made from grapevine and hemp.

Originally made by the Ojibwe people, dreamcatchers are supposed to give one good dreams.

A Turkish kilim serves as a runner and adds some fall color to the table.

I love the unexpected -- like hot pink paired with orange. I think it's just the perfect color combo for fall and looks stunning on the table -- especially when toned down with the green glass.

Next is my music room, which also serves as the entry.

I have layered Turkish overdyed rugs to again bring some color to the brown furniture and floors.

For a natural fall accent, I clipped some branches from trees and placed them in an old bottle.

I might not have mentioned that we are musicians, hence all the instruments :-) Last year I found this record player from my 1970s childhood in my parents' basement, and knew I needed to get it out and use it.

My husband built the corner cabinet from a walnut tree my dad cut along with reclaimed chestnut trim from the old house.

Now on to the kitchen. Again, it's a hodgepodge of styles, which just reflects who we are, where we've been and where we came from.

We built the countertops from wormy chestnut and added trim from the old house to the cabinets. I painted the lower cabinets a gray color from the old house.

A vintage sari is draped on a rod for a sink skirt, and an afghan kilim provides color and texture.

I love the open shelves we added and enjoy accessorizing them for all seasons. I have added some Native art, including a Navajo pot and an amazing Cherokee-crafted cutting board, to the inherited china.

The brass coffee pot is another inherited piece from my relative who lived in China.

The woven mat is also locally made by a Cherokee artist.

I love these old brass wall plaques and love how this one looks over the stove with the inherited antique pot from India. I like brass accents with black especially.

I found these towels at World Market late in the summer and knew the colors would work perfectly for fall.

The screen door came from the old house, and I added burlap and hardware cloth to the back. My dad made the sign.

We have a huge island that serves as storage, extra eating space, and also acts as a buffet for serving.

I simply added some seasonal fruit to three different color iridescent depression glass pieces I stacked.

I should have offered y'all some apple pound cake:-) This is just the best recipe ever, if you like moist, fruity cake. It contains no oil as I substitute applesauce, and that makes for a really wonderful texture. I added a brown sugar glaze to it, and my family just devoured it. You can find the recipe HERE.

My mother grows the most beautiful flowers, and I have enjoyed not only having these zinnias in the house, but also being able to look out my window and see them en masse outside her kitchen window. These zinnias are exactly what inspired my color combinations.

I rewired the mid-century light fixtures and am so pleased with how they look in this room as well as the light they provide to the island.

I didn't decorate my girls' room for fall, but you can see the French makeover it got HERE.

Our 10-year-old son is still waiting on his Star Wars room makeover:-)

Next, is the master bedroom.

I found the iron bed here on the property and restored it several years ago. I like to use white linens all year round, and just add a down comforter in the fall. My DIY moroccan wedding blanket adds a punch of color along with chindi rugs and vintage sarees.

At the foot of the bed is my grandmother's trunk where I have displayed two Navajo weavings my parents brought me from Santa Fe years ago.

The lamp is simply a green bottle my grandmother saved to which I have added a lamp kit and mid-century shade. I am loving the green glass for fall.

I took down the flower prints and made a wall hanging from a branch, yarn, feathers and beads to hang above the bed.

I kept the white pillows for fall but the textures of fur and velvet, add a warm touch.

More original, inherited art from my family is stacked in this corner.

Guitars are just part of our lives here and can be found anywhere there is an empty space.

I dressed my DIY mantel with a moroccan mirror, Navajo pottery, inherited candlestick and a lone branch from the woods.

My Cherokee corn bead necklace hangs from the mantel.

Corn bead necklaces are made from the seeds of the corn bead plant, also called "Job's tears."

The gray color represents the sorrow of the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears in 1838, where a third of the Cherokees forced by the U. S. government to march in winter, died along the way to a reservation in Oklahoma. According to legend, where tears fell on the ground, a corn stalk-like plant sprouted producing seeds in the shape of tears. It's a reminder of my mother's heritage and ancestry here in western North Carolina.

I wired the hanging lantern I bought on a trip to Turkey, and love the gold color for fall. It is especially warm and pretty at night.

That's it for inside, so we can head back out to the porch.

For fall, I have really embraced my Appalachian culture here and used local corn, pumpkins and gourds along with corn stalks from my dad's garden.

Instead of buying ribbon, I picked several different fabric patterns and cut strips to tie into bows.

This is home and a place where we can get away from the craziness that seems to permeate life these days. Knowing I am grounded on this land, where my ancestors walked, is an amazing feeling.

Knowing that I am the caretaker of it for my children and future generations, is a huge responsibility I don't take lightly.

For now, I am blessed to enjoy this beautiful spot with my family.

I am also very thankful to Kelly for including me on this tour with such inspiring bloggers. In case you missed one, and to see tomorrow's tour at Old Silver Shed, please visit Kelly at Eclectically Vintage.

I am SO thankful that I have been your "follower" throughout the years because I almost have sensory overload from all of this beauty! I love the memories that are attached to so many of the unique pieces and the way you incorporate them into a home that exudes warmth and hospitality. One of these days.... :)

This is so beautiful, Anita. I love your family story because that makes it all the more special. The way you use that fuchsia around the house just knocks my socks off. Love, love that rug in the family room too. Keep it up!

anita, i don't even know where to begin with my comments! your home is so unique, filled with texture and charm. your creativity and love of color and textiles shines throughout. i loved learning the history of the home as i had no idea! and i also love that screen door- i don't know if i have seen it before. thank you for always offering something different, beautiful, and real to your readers. in a world full of white farmhouses, your house shines!!!!

I love your unique and personal style. You truly have a gift for mixing colors, boho and vintage all together for a beautifully eclectic home! I remember your home tour from a few years ago at the Cottage of the Month. I fell in love with your home then and have watched how your style has changed over the years. Your home is colorful yet warm and so very unique and interesting. Love it!

Anita - I'm in love! You are so creative and I love how you incorporate your heritage and family heirlooms into your home. I love your unabashed love of color - you do it right! I love those fiberglass mid-century lamp shades too - I have one with a chalk ware mariachi dancer. Growing up, my parents had those brass plaques in our kitchen too. Every part of your house is perfection - I'm thrilled to have you on the tour this year! Happy fall!

What a most incredible Fall Home Tour Anita. Truly like flipping the pages of an amazing magazine feature .... well, I have flipped through those pages of yours!....Each and every room is beyond gorgeous....love the colors and I so remember wearing the combination of pink and orange in high school, many, many moons ago....I always enjoy seeing your decor that has so many of your family treasures...

Thank you Anita for showing us your beautiful home in every detail. You have such a gift for mixing styles, colors, and layering.......everything just says "home".......and that is always the defining moment I think. Just lovely. Love the bed springs on the porch with all the items hanging from it!! Have a wonderful Fall! Blessings, Linda

I agree with Cassie! I am admittedly getting tired of all the neutrals in blogland so to find your blog during this tour made me smile with joy! I LOVE all the stories and meaning your home & belongings have, and your use of color is SO inspiring!! I will be a regular reader from now on. Thank you for being unique.

My current obsession is pink and orange combo too and was happy to randomly find this post. Your home is gorgeous!! May I ask what white paint color you have in your master bedroom? Thanks for sharing your home.